The present invention generally pertains to material analyzers and is particularly directed to transporting materials samples to an activation region of the material analyzer for analysis.
Material analyers are used to determine and measure the content of material samples. Prior art material analyzers are described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,582,992 to Thomas L. Atwell, James F. Miller, Ernesto Corte, Richard L. Conwell and Clinton L. Lingren and the publications cited therein.
In a typical prior art material analyzer, a material sample is positioned within an activation region located between a radiation source and a detector disposed for detecting radiation that is secondarily emitted by a material sample within the activation region when the material sample is bombarded by radiation from the radiation source. The detector produces signals in response to the secondarily emitted radiation; and a computer processing the signals to determine the content of the material sample. The radiation source and the detector are disposed within a container and are shielded by radiation shielding material within the container in order to shield the outside of the container from radiation derived from the radiation source.
In a prior art material analyzer designed to analyze bucket-size samples of material, the material sample is transported into the activation region from outside the container by use of a drawer that includes a sample containment chamber. The drawer is slid out from the container; the material sample is placed in the sample containment chamber; and the drawer is slid into the container to position the material sample within the activation region. After the material sample has been analyzed, the drawer is slid out from the container and the material sample is removed from the sample containment chamber.